Heroes of the New Day

What began as a simple journey has turned into so much more...

Avandra's Plateau

Located west of the Great Plains, and east of the Dark Woods, the journey to this site is a pilgrimage for many zealots of Avandra, goddess of Hope & Change. The physical dimensions of this site are huge, stretching almost a mile high, with a flat base at the top that is at least 2 miles in diameter. Mostly stone, though a wide variety of plants grow at various points on the plateau in small pockets, and animals of various types are also known to have been seen there. Given the connection to the goddess of Change, it is said that the exact physical dimensions of the plateau, as well as the flora & fauna, are never “set in stone”, as it were.

The basic idea is that the plateau changes you. Magically, there is some strange energy that prevents anyone from teleporting to the plateau directly, and even those who have been there and created permanent teleportation circles have found that they disappear rather quickly, or get reworked to bounce teleporters elsewhere. The Church of Change will tell you that it is Avandra’s will that prevents anyone from just appearing at the plateau… that she desires everyone to make a journey to get there.

Once there, it is said that climbing the steep walls of the plateau can change someone to their core, altering class or race, history or demeanor, family ties and “unbreakable” bonds. Many with terminal illnesses have sought to climb the plateau, though they do not often make it to the top and back before succumbing to their illness or realizing that a cure is not actually what they seek.

Many who reach the plateau have been so changed by their journey (walking through the pastoral farmlands of Farmville or the impossible shadows of the Dark Woods) that they only pray at the massive temple to Avandra in the plateau’s base (which looks, incidentally, just like the Holy Grail building from that Indiana Jones movie… which is actually the ancient site of Petra in Jordan). Many bards’ tales related to this site are journey stories, and by the time the protagonist/anti-hero reaches the plateau, he has already changed on a fundamental level, and has nothing but to fall to his knees and thank the Goddess for her wisdom, and begging forgiveness for the foolishness of his previous life.

Religion
Obviously this site is a massive shrine to Avandra. The clergy of her church are always nearby. However, given her focus on change, there is never a “High Priest” of the entire faith who stays here for long. Clergy rotate through according to a schedule unknown to outsiders, and it is generally assumed that whomever you meet in the temple is at a point in their journey where they should be respected as one Blessed by Avandra at that moment, be it a priest, a paladin, or a pauper. It is also said that the souls of Avandra’s faithful gather on (and in) the plateau itself, awaiting reincarnation as they interact with those who dare to climb the massive structure.